If you told me before the season that I would get to watch both Mesut Ozil and Ilkay Gundogan in the Premier League this year, I’d probably try my hardest to give whoever made that happen a big ol’ hug.

Having seen what beautiful things Ozil has brought to the English game at the Emirates, the prospect of both being on my television come February 1 is salivating.

Manchester United, having been linked heavily with a bid for Gundogan, will have to try very hard to pry him from the clutches of a Borussia Dortmund side already reeling from the thought of losing Robert Lewandowski this summer. It’s not a long shot, but it’s close.

However, should David Moyes pony up a successful £24 million ($39.6 million) offer, and convince Gundogan to risk his Champions League playing time (think green, that usually helps), the German could very well save their season – and the manager’s job.

The 23-year-old is currently missing long-term from Dortmund’s lineup, having made just one appearances this year due to a spinal injury.

But when healthy, Gundogan is an absolute workhorse. His style isn’t exactly as “sexy” as Ozil’s, but having completed a position change from a No. 10 to a holding midfielder, he possesses the best qualities of both roles melded into one player – what is known as a “complete midfielder.”

Ilkay would be just what the doctor ordered at Manchester United, should David Moyes choose to pursue the German.

It’s a style of player that fits beautifully into the rigors of the Premier League. Technical yet physically weak players are eaten alive (see: Ruiz, Bryan) but Gundogan possesses the seizing abilities of a holding midfielder while still proving dangerous in both build-up and attack.

The German international had an 87% pass completion during the 2012/2013 Bundesliga season – not stellar until you notice Dortmund play a style that relies on an incisive yet risky passing attack.

He also paired the following statistics together last year: an outstanding 80% tackle completion percentage (51/64) and a 64% take-on success rate (58/90). He can dispossess and dribble.

With Manchester United’s midfield currently featuring such yawn-inspiring players such as Tom Cleverley, Michael Carrick, and 40-year-old Ryan Giggs, the middle of the pitch at Old Trafford could use some life.

That’s what David Moyes thought he was doing bringing Marouane Fellaini with him from Everton, but Fellaini’s been both injured and underwhelming, proving his passing abilities to be sub par when thrust into the bright lights.

Gundogan’s playmaking abilities would light up Old Trafford, and feed Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie (given he’s on the pitch and not in the physio’s room) the service they’ve so lacked this season.

Rooney should be lauded by United fans, having singlehandedly created nearly every sliver of United’s attack – nine goals and 11 assists (61% of their goals this season!). Pair the two playmakers, and watch Manchester United soar up the table.

If it happens, consider yourselves lucky to be graced with the ability to wactch the beautiful playmaking skills of two different yet equally tantalizing players.

HOUSTON (AP) Stanford got off to a rough start this year, but rebounded in a season where everyone wanted to take the Cardinal down to make it back to the College Cup.

After winning the first national championship in program history last season, No. 5 Stanford continues its title defense in the second semifinal on Friday night against No. 9 North Carolinas. In the first semifinal, No. 2 Wake Forest faces undefeated No. 6 Denver.

Stanford had with three ties and a loss in its first six games before winning 13 of its next 16 games to win a third straight Pac-12 championship and return to the College Cup.

“I think it was kind of a wakeup call seeing how hard we were going to get played and I think we adapted to that as the season progressed,” said defender Tomas Hilliard-Arce, who was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year last month.

Stanford hopes to become the first team since Indiana in 2003-04 to win consecutive national championships. Coach Jeremy Gunn’s team is the first to return to the College Cup the season after winning the national championship since Wake Forest returned in 2008 after winning it all in 2007.

Stanford lost some key players from last season, including MLS Rookie of the Year and the reigning Hermann Trophy winner Jordan Morris. But it returns six starters from last season’s team. Five of those players were named to the All-Pac-12 first team last month, and one was on the second team.

“We had some great players leave after last year and I think some people wanted to write us off this year,” Gunn said.

Stanford is led by Co-Pac-12 player of the year Foster Langsdorf. The junior forward has led the team’s attack this season, scoring 15 goals, including one in each of Stanford’s three tournament games. In their 10 Pac-12 games, Langsdorf scored 12 goals.

North Carolina comes to Houston for its first College Cup appearance since winning a national championship in 2011. The Tar Heels also reached the national semifinals in 2009-10.

Some things to know about the College Cup.

H-TOWN CONNECTION: The Tar Heels come to Houston with many connections to the area. Three Houston Dynamo players, defenders Jalil Anibaba and Sheanon Williams and goalkeeper Tyler Deric, played at North Carolina, while head coach Carlos Somoano is from nearby Seabrook, Texas. The Tar Heels leading scorer, Tucker Hume, said players from the Dynamo have reached out to them and that they’ll be at Friday’s game.

“My formative soccer years and experiences were done right here in Houston,” Somoano said. “So for me it’s very special to be back here.”

YOUTH MOVEMENT: After losing key players from last season, including three who were selected in the top 12 of the MLS SuperDraft, North Carolina has had to rely on its youth in 2016. The Tar Heels have 12 players who have appeared in all 20 games this season, six of whom are either freshmen or sophomores. Sophomore forward Nils Bruening leads the team in goals with eight, while redshirt sophomore goalkeeper James Pyle has allowed just 10 goals this season.

“They’ve been a bit of a revelation for us,” Somoano said. “It’s just fascinating to see how they evolve through the year. They’re not the same players now than they were in August.”

FAMILIAR FACES: Denver head coach Jamie Franks and Wake Forest’s Bobby Muuss have plenty of history. Muuss was an assistant coach for the Demon Deacons during Franks’ freshman season in Winston-Salem and was the coach at Denver from 2007-14, with Franks serving as his assistant for three seasons. When Muuss took over at Wake Forest before the 2015 season, Franks took his place at Denver.

“I love Wake Forest . but at the end of the day, these are my boys,” Franks said. “These are my kids, and Wake Forest is standing in our way.

WAKE EYES REDEMPTION: Last season, Wake Forest was the No. 1 team in the country with a 17-2-2 record before falling in the quarterfinals to the eventual national champions Stanford in overtime. This season, the Demon Deacons enter the College Cup with an 18-2-3 mark with a pair of shutouts in wins over Coastal Carolina and Virginia Tech.

DOMINANCE REWARDED: Since Franks took over as the Denver head coach, the Pioneers have lost just one game, a defeat to SMU that ended the 2015 season. The team feels its 35-1-6 record under Franks it has not received enough credit, mostly because the Pioneers play in the Summit League. This is Denver’s first appearance in the College Cup and the players are embracing their underdog role.

“It’s more a historical thing than an actual thing because no one in our locker room is surprised to be here, we expected to be here,” sophomore forward Andre Shinyashiki said.

LONDON (AP) Police overseeing the sex abuse scandal in British soccer say 83 potential suspects have been identified and linked to 98 clubs.

Officers across the country are sifting through 639 referrals received by both police and a helpline established last month when former players started going public to say they were abused by coaches while in youth teams.